


A More Distinctive Lily

by KurooCrow



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Beauxbatons, F/F, F/M, Lily Evans Potter Lives, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sirius Black Never Went to Azkaban, harry is trans and her name is Calla, harry potter goes to beauxbatons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-07
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2019-07-08 00:31:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15919326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KurooCrow/pseuds/KurooCrow
Summary: Calla Lily Bellmont was Beauxbatons' top student. Therefore, it was expected that she also go to Hogwarts during her 5th year for the Tri-Wizard Tournament.Granted, it makes it a little harder when your birth surname is Potter and you and your mother are currently on the run from the Dark Lord.AKA in which Calla Potter befriends everyone (including a spirit by the name of Tom Riddle)





	1. A Lily's Song

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have some of this written so I hope to be able to update once a week :)

Lily Evans was nothing if not resourceful, and Lily Potter found that now nothing stood in the way of her desires.

The Potter family grimoire had been simple to obtain considering just how much information the tome contained. This was something else Lily was determined to fix: the lack of knowledge accessible to muggleborn or even half-blood students.

But, at the moment, her priorities were based around the infant sleeping next to her. Harry Potter was barely a year old, and Lily was running out of time.

She could have cried of joy when she came across the exact pages she needed, but she had work to do before those tears were allowed to fall.

Lily Potter refused to cry for the circumstances she was placed under.

\--

A week later found Lily Potter on the floor of Harry’s nursery. Blood was streaked in her hair and across her cheek. Harry screamed for his mother behind her.

Lily Potter did not allow her tears to fall. She had work to do.

She continued drawing careful lines across the floor in her own blood, her hand shaking despite her efforts.

These runes had been lying dormant since she first started them a week ago. There had been some hope that they would never be activated and that James would never whisper "I'll hold him off while you finish the runes."

Lily Potter refused to cry for her dead husband.

\--

Lily Potter didn’t recognize the man that crossed into the room, but she knew who he was. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. You-Know-Who. But Lily never liked those acronyms. To her he was always Voldemort. A man playing at God.

“Step aside and hand me the child.” It was more hiss than speech, and Lily had to wonder just how much this man had toyed with his own magic and soul to take on such an appearance.

There was a fire in her eyes. Not a raging inferno, but a cold fire. A fire that had been doused in water only to result in higher flames. “You won’t touch him.”

He opened his mouth again, and Lily truthfully wasn’t sure whether it was going to be another offer for her life or the curse to end it. But it didn’t matter.

The moment she saw his wand move she slammed her bloodied palm against the ground. The final mark in the ritual. A ghastly green light traced along the lines of the floor before vanishing. For a moment Lily was worried the ritual wouldn’t work. Perhaps this Voldemort was sane enough to recognize the symbols and cease the attack.

She was almost hoping he would, as every second felt as if the blood was being ripped from her body. Every nerve was alight with pain and every thought a cry.

But, for once, Lily’s trust in Dumbledore’s words was not misplaced. As a second green light filled the room, this one headed towards her son, a blinding shield erupted from the runed Lily had drawn. It enveloped Harry, seeming to dance in the air around him, grabbing the light of the curse like a thrown stick and hurling it back towards its caster.

Lily let out a sigh of relief, but knew she was not done fighting.

Lily Potter refused to cry for the pain she endured.

\--

Another week later, whispering to the doe before her, Lily resisted the urge to panic. No, it was what must be done. She knew this, yet still hesitated before telling the doe to seek out Bartemius Crouch, the current head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

She would not allow her best friend to rot in Azkaban when she knew the truth. Even if it meant revealing to the world that she lived, she wouldn’t allow it.

It had been foolish to trust Dumbledore. For all the good intentions the man had, he was only a king unafraid to sacrifice his pawns. She could only wonder just how many unnecessary deaths were at that man’s hand.

James Potter was the first name to come to mind.

Lily Potter refused to cry for her misguided trust.

\--

A month after running, Lily was finally home. Home being used to describe her new house in Eastern France. It was small, but no smaller than the previous had been. But here there was no chance of being discovered, and no risk to her son.

That was all Lily could truly ask for. Sometimes she still imagined seeing the ties of magic the ritual wound between her and Harry, but she was comforted by it. Lily would do whatever it took to protect her child, no matter how much it cost her.

She would take a new name, a new home, a new life. Nothing would ever again threaten their peace.

On the doorstep of her home, alone and unafraid for the first time in nearly two years, Lily Bellmont allowed herself to cry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Other chapters will be longer I promise. This is just kind of an intro that I really wanted to write from Lilys POV


	2. Sprout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok honestly a lot isn't explicitly stated since I just kind of wanted to give some important moments from Calla's childhood, but I'll definitely clarify anything that's confusing :)

Sirius Black was many things, but stubborn and prideful managed to make up the majority of his personality. He was a born dark wizard determined enough to be placed in Gryffindor and laughed at the thought of him returning to the dark.

Remus assumed that was one of the reasons he had initially been drawn to Sirius. He knew how hard it was to deny a part of you (especially one you had to deal with monthly), and could sympathize with Sirius over that fact. Nevertheless, he was hesitant to trust the boy. Werewolves were naturally dark creatures, and Remus had ensured that no one would ever discover what he truly was. Therefore, Remus decided to maintain a slightly wider distance between himself and Sirius than that between him and James.

Then Sirius had gone and convinced the Marauders to complete the animagus transformation.

The memory of the three of them uniting with him on a full moon continued to fuel his patronus.

It was some point in sixth year that Remus realized he would follow Sirius to the ends of the world and back if it meant keeping him safe.

He supposed that was why he presently found himself in the French countryside staring at an equally stunned Lily Evans.

\--

Calla Bellmont was enrolled in Beauxbatons primary academy as soon as she was capable of holding a wand (silver lime with a thunderbird tail feather core) and was at the top of her classes from the first day. She noted the strained smiles from her mother when she reported her grades, but didn’t comprehend the reason until Lily sat her down on her tenth birthday.

The story of her family fighting Voldemort was… startling to Calla. She had heard whispers from her peers about a ‘Dark Lord’ and even the name ‘Harry Potter’ but had never put the pieces together on who she was supposed to be. ‘Chosen One’ sounded like a joke to her. What adult in their sound mind would place their unquestioning faith in an unborn child?

Cala knew she was never Harry Potter. She was once known as Harrison Bellmont, but even that name felt like a lie.

“So… they all thought Sirius was actually capable of betraying the family?” Calla leaned back, crossing her arms. “He acts my age and he was seriously the suspect?” This comment had earned her a laugh that officially broke the tension, and Calla considered it a win.

During the rare moments in the following years that Lily did speak of her past family, Calla found that she wasn’t overly fond of her mother’s relatives. They seemed like truly dreadful people, and it hurt Calla to even consider visiting such a prejudiced household.

Calla shuddered. Yes, she much prefered hearing about her father and his friends.

“You’re telling me he had a rat animagus and you trusted him as the secret keeper?”

Lily winced, focusing most of her attention on tracing the rim of her teacup with her finger. “At the time we had few reasons not to confide in him. Perhaps with everything we should have been more cautious, but you must understand he was our friend since first year.”

“So was Severus.” Calla pointed out with a shrug. “Why wasn’t he aware of the change?”

“Severus Snape was an untrustworthy man who allowed petty ideals to destroy any relationships he had.” Her voice nearly cracked halfway through her sentence as she glared at the table between them.

Calla fixed her mother with a pointed look while taking a slow sip of tea. “Mhm.”

The look she received had her abruptly abandoning the tea to race away.

Throughout these talks Calla had ascertained what she could ask safely and what would push her mother away. She marked a page of her notebook dedicated to these topics. So far the list consisted of only two things: James and her more dangerous adventures with spell creation.

\--

Calla was nine when some stunning discoveries were made. She kept them to herself for months due to both her own doubts and the horror stories she had heard. Having to hear judgment be passed on who she was wasn’t something Calla was sure she could make it through.

Every time she felt that she might be ready to tell Lily, she hesitated. Her mother hadn’t stopped fighting since they arrived in France, whether it be finding a temporary job or making sure they were free from Britain’s eye. Feeling her stomach squirm every time someone called her ‘name’ was a price she was willing to pay to keep the normality in her family. For her mother’s sake.

Only a few weeks before her tenth birthday Calla finally asked Remus to talk. Remus reasonably seemed startled at the proposition. Calla was quiet and enjoyed laying next to Remus to read, but he was never sure just how close they were. It always appeared as if she had a much better relationship with Sirius.

“You have to promise not to tell anyone.” Remus knew he never would. Even if it was a matter of safety, Calla had felt comfortable enough to come to him with this issue. He could resolve it himself if necessary.

She hadn’t even started speaking but Remus could already see tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. “You know you can tell me anything, Harry.” Remus was sure that it was only his werewolf status that let him see her miniscule wince.

“I don’t like the name Harry.”

The quiet admission shocked Remus. He tried to decipher the meaning behind the words as Calla looked up with nervous anticipation. “Is… is there a reason why?”

Remus nearly growled as Calla curled into herself further. “I don’t think I’m a boy.”

“Oh.”

An awkward silence followed the declaration in which Remus stumbled for a response, “Do you feel more like a girl then?”

Calla nodded, picking at the page of her homework clutched against her chest, “I...Yeah, I’m a girl.” It may not have shown in her current stance, but speaking those words were the biggest relief Calla’s ever felt.

“Okay.”

She looked up, shocked. “What?”

“Okay.” Remus leaned forward over the coffee table to rest a hand on Calla’s arm. “You know nothing like that would ever change how I see you, right?” His voice was softer than Calla had ever heard it.

She nodded, wiping away her tears as the pit in her stomach gradually faded.

“What did your mother say?”

The pit was back.

“I haven’t told her.” Calla mumbled, joining her hands in front of her and playing with the small piece of paper she had torn off her homework.

“You… why would you tell me before her?” Remus didn’t mean for his words to have the impact they did. There was some reason Calla had chosen him over to Lily to tell, but he couldn’t help but need to know why.

“Because I knew you’d understand even if they don’t.” At Remus’ raised eyebrow she continued, “Mom told me how you’ve had to hide who you are your whole life. I know it’s not the same but… you know what it’s like to be someone you’re not.”

It was times like this that Remus was certain the child before him was in fact older than she appeared.

He cleared his throat after a moment, unsure of how to reply to that, “So, do you have any names picked out?”

Remus never thought that an action as simple as a smile would be able to cause him physical pain, but he was clearly wrong on that aspect. He would never know the troubles she faced in coming to terms with and accepting this, but he did understand on a level. The wizarding world was notably better at accepting minorities than the muggle one, but there was always doubt. There would always be those ready to put Calla down merely for being herself, and Remus was sure he would keep true to the promise he had made himself not twenty minutes prior. He would resolve any issues that came of this. He would do anything to ensure that Calla never had to face any of the cruel judgment he had seen.

\--

Animals had always been a soft spot for Calla. By the time she was ten she had rescued at least six baby birds and one stray cat, nursing them back to health before either releasing or finding homes for them.

It was to the point that Lily was prepared to see Calla bringing in injured animals. It didn’t prepare her for the snake.

“Oh? Another hospital resident?” Lily smiled as her daughter walked in carrying a small bundle wrapped in one of Calla’s old cloaks.

“He says he’s really hurt, Mom.”

The phrasing caught Lily unawares. Calla had never had imaginary friends as a child, nor had she ever really lied about the childish things one would expect. This is why Lily’s eyes narrowed slightly as she asked, “Says?”

Calla shifted the cloak just enough for Lily to see the creature to gently held against Calla’s chest. Midnight blue scales and sharp golden eyes chilled Lily’s blood. “Does he have a name?” Lily struggled to keep her voice in check, eyeing the snout that was longer than anticipated.

“He’s too young. His nest was attacked but he managed to get away. His wing’s really hurt though.” As if to prove her point, a wing that was still shockingly serpentine raised above his body. There were three tears through the fragile skin in a claw pattern.

“Mom?” Lily turned back to her daughter as small fins fanned out around the snakes face briefly. “He says he doesn’t like the way you’re looking at him.”

Lily was sure that the most trying moment of her life was not reacting when Calla started hissing to the serpent in her arms.

It took a week of study to discover that the small snake was actually a wyrm, a distant relative of the common dragon. He had imprinted on Calla, or at least Lily assumed that was what happened since the damned thing hadn’t left her side since it was well enough to move.

There hadn’t really been an argument over keeping the wyrm after seeing the way Calla had bonded with it. Calla ended up consulting the wyrm about his name, and they settled on Kaa when Calla jokingly mentioned the Jungle Book.

Remus, as predicted, took the news of Calla being a parselmouth a lot calmer than Sirius. Granted, they weren’t in Britain, so it wasn’t likely that the news would be too shocking, but even Europe knew it was a Slytherin trait. They warned Calla about keeping to herself in case it was somehow linked to the Potter family, but she only lasted a week into term before accidentally outing herself to the school.

\--

Calla wasn’t exactly sure of her social standing when it came to school. She certainly wasn’t popular since she was sure she needed more than three true friends to qualify for that. Fame, however, was something she was well acquainted with. Considering her marks on exams and proficiency in silent spell casting, she was well known by her fifth year.

Her friend Eva would often tease that if anything she was more infamous than famous. Calla found it hard to disagree, considering the trouble she often got into on her adventures.

It wasn’t that she liked to cause trouble (to the dismay of Sirius and joy of Remus and Lily), but rather that she saw no point in living in a castle without having the chance to fully explore its every corner. Beauxbatons was classy, refined, and held many more secrets than the average student would believe.

Calla had been developing a map with the help of Eva and Lucien utilizing the magic Sirius had taught her. She only hoped that one day she would get to see the map she had heard so much about.

It was this map that she was working on, scribbling notes for spells in her notebook when Eva joined her. It was usually only the two of them for breakfast as Lucien claimed there was much to be said about his beauty sleep.

“Morning.” Calla mostly ignored Eva’s greeting, waving a piece of her toast as a response.

A few moments passed before a sigh and then, “Have you heard?” Eva’s voice was low, worried, and Calla’s eyes immediately left her notes. “The papers are reporting the return of the Dark Lord in Britain.”

Calla frowned, handing a small piece of sausage to Kaa who was lounging across her shoulders before answering, “Is there any proof?”

“Witnesses reported the dark mark over an attack near London.”

Calla bit her lip. She understood why Eva was concerned. The last war with Voldemort had been close to leaving the UK, and while there wasn’t as prominent a fear in European countries, there was a good amount for muggleborns like Eva. Calla as well, but she wasn’t about to mention that to anyone.

“There have been reports about him twice a year. Remember when it was discovered I spoke parseltongue?”

Eva chuckled, “And half of France thought you were either his child or some weird reincarnation?”

Calla nodded, handing another piece of meat to Kaa when he nudged her hand. “Then they realized they were talking about an ten year old student. I’m sure it was some fanatics casting the mark for attention.” Eva gave a small smile and Calla returned it.

“Speaking of attention, have you managed to talk to Lucien about the spell work?” Eva snorted at Calla’s question. Lucien was busy fawning over their classmate that had truly grown up that summer.

“As if he could look away from Nilsson for more than two minutes.”

Calla laughed, pointing her pencil towards Eva, “At least he picked a pretty boy to drool over.”

Eva seemed content to drop the conversation after that, and they ate in silence. Calla kept tapping her pencil against the notepad, thoughts too focused on the Dark Lord gossip to continue her spell creation.

\--

Dinner that night was as extravagant as the welcoming feast since it was their first day of classes.

It was common for Headmistress Maxime to give multiple speeches throughout the year to update students, so no one was shocked when she stepped up to address the students once again.

The beginning of it was normal, things Calla had heard plenty of times by now. It was the following proclamation that almost caused her to fall from her seat.

“I would like to announce to you all the return of the Triwizard Tournament!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crow Crow  
> yes papa?  
> Editing chapters?  
> Yes papa  
> Telling lies?  
> No papa  
> Edit the chapter  
> ha ha ha


	3. Stephanotis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess whos back  
> Back again

_Stephanotis_ : A desire to travel

Beauxbatons didn’t contain a Room of Requirement, but there _was_ a somewhat similar room beneath the cellars. Hidden behind a painting and through a winding maze of tunnels, it would remain a mystery to most explorers. With Calla’s quest to map every stone of the building it hadn’t been too difficult to find.

Calla found herself spending most of her time in this room, and most of her independent study material come from the variety of books left behind there. She was halfway through one of those books on rune creation when the mirror at her side flashed again. With a sigh Calla marked the page of her book, resigning herself to answering the message from her family. She could only pretend not to see it a certain amount of times.

“Calla Lily Bellmont!” She winced at the sound of her mother’s voice. “Were you ignoring our calls?”

“Of course not.” Calla smiled innocently, “I was just reading and didn’t notice.”

Her mother, more than used to Calla being lost to world while reading, let out a defeated sigh. “How are classes going?”

“Mom.” She rolled her eyes, “It’s only the second day of classes. Plus, I can see Sirius behind you. You’re calling about the tournament, right?”

“You know you can’t go to Hogwarts.”

Calla frowned, “I’m going to go to support my friends, Mom. Fleur’s planning on entering.”

“Your mother’s right, pup.” Sirius added, stepping properly into frame.

“It’s not like I’ll actually be entered into the tournament.” She argued.

“There’s been dozens of reports of Death Eater activity.” Lily explained, “I told you about what happened during your first year. He could be returning to power.”

Calla knew how sensitive of an issue this was to her mother, and tried to choose her words carefully, “All Dumbledore said in that letter was that the stone was stolen. You’re the one always telling me not to trust that old man. Isn’t it possible that it wasn’t even Voldemort that stole it?” She pointedly ignored the way her guardians flinched at the name.

“It’s dangerous!” Sirius cut in, snatching the mirror from Lily. “You have no way of knowing if he’s back, and he still might be able to recognize you!”

Calla deadpanned, motioning to her chest with her free hand.

Sirius narrowed his eyes, “Point.”

Lily sighed, grabbing the mirror back from Sirius. “If you go you have to promise not to do anything that draws attention.”

Calla grinned, “I promise, Mom.”

“I’ll be writing you a list that will be followed every moment you are out of Beauxbatons.” Calla nodded to her mother’s words, silently praying the list wouldn’t be too extensive.

“I’ll be careful, and I’ll write you guys often, okay?”

“I expect at least one letter every week.” Calla sighed dramatically before her mother continued, “Where are you?”

Whoops.

“Oh, uh…” Calla had never told her family about this hidden room, afraid they would discover the section of darker artifacts and forgotten wands. “Just a room in the castle I found.” At her mother’s raised eyebrow she added, “It’s safe, I swear. I think it’s an abandoned classroom. But it’s quiet, and sometimes the dorms are too loud to read peacefully.” At least that last part wasn’t a lie.

Lily shook her head at Calla’s explanation. “I trust you, Calla. Just stay safe.”

“Of course. I love you all.” The call ended after they said their farewells.

Calla sighed, tucking the mirror into a pocket on her robes and collecting the book she was studying. Lunch would be starting in a few minutes, so she left the room and proceeded towards the Great Hall.

A familiar witch joined her a few moments after she left, and Calla grinned. “Afternoon, Love.”

Fleur stopped Calla in her tracks by linking her arms around Calla’s neck and drawing her in for a kiss. “Afternoon.”

As they began walking again, Calla moved to link her arm with Fleur’s. “Taking me to a lunch date?” Calla teased.

“I’m not sure we have time.” Fleur replied, raising her chin as she walked. “I do have friends to attend to.”

Calla pulled out a wand from her pocket before casting a quick _tempus_. “Now, Fleur, I do believe we have a few moments.” She winked, but noticed that Fleur’s gaze was locked onto her hand.

“Whose wand is that?”

“Hm?” Calla eyed the holly wand in her hand. “Oh, it’s to practice more advanced spells without worrying about detection by the ministry.” She hastily shoved the wand into her expanded pocket, ignoring the fact that her hand brushed against two other wands suitable for her.

Fleur sighed dramatically, appearing to brush off the fact that Calla somehow found a second wand, “I’ll visit you when you’re imprisoned.”

Calla wrinkled her nose at the thought but appreciated Fleur’s joking tone. She had always been understanding of Calla’s less than savory habits. “You’ll bring me books, right? I can’t imagine them having an impressive library.”

They entered the Great Hall to Fleur’s laughter, and Calla caught sight of Eva smirking in their direction. “I’ll see you at dinner?” Calla prompted, earning her a nod.

“Yes, I want to talk to you about the tournament.” Fleur leaned in to quickly kiss Calla’s cheek before the two went separate ways to sit with their friends.

“Here I thought you’d be interested in hearing about the cute sixth year that asked me out.”

Calla snorted, eyeing Eva. “I’ve been dating Fleur for almost a year, Eva.” She pointed out. “I think that the latest flings you or Lucien have are more fascinating.”

“Says the girl dating the prettiest veela at Beauxbatons.” Eva rolled her eyes, “Do you know how many poor little British boys are going to try to ask her out?”

“I feel bad for the ones that try.” Calla commented, knowing Fleur’s habit of being rather… harsh with potential suitors.

Eva laughed, playing with the food on her plate, “Are you going to go to Hogwarts for the tournament?” Fourth years and above had been invited if they wished to attend, but Eva was torn.

“Of course she is.” Lucien drawled from behind Calla as he approached to sit next to her. “Her girlfriends entering to compete in a life-threatening competition.” He added, reaching to tie his long silver hair up.

“Thanks for reminding me, Lucy.” Calla mumbled.

“No problem. But, hey, scars are hot.”

Calla raised an eyebrow, pointing her spoon at Lucien. “Touche.”

\--

Slipping into the empty classroom near Fleur’s dorms, Calla found that her girlfriend was already waiting for her. “Hey.” Calla called, moving forward to sit next to Fleur.

Fleur smiled to her in greeting, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You’re coming to Hogwarts, aren’t you?”

Calla sighed, “Yes. You’re… you’re planning on competing, right?”

“I want to enter.” Fleur reached over to grab one of Callas hands, running her thumbs over the back of it.

“I know you’ll be chosen.” Calla’s voice cracked. It was no secret that Fleur was the best seventh-year witch Beauxbatons had to offer. If the champions were selected fairly…

“You’re scared.”

She scoffed, “Of course I am. My girlfriends about to enter a super dangerous tournament and I won’t be able to help her if anything happens.”

“I truly doubt that the rules of a tournament would stop you from rushing to my aid.” Fleur chuckled.

“Like a knight in shining armor?”

Fleur leaned forward, her lips ghosting over Calla’s. “Does that mean I’m your princess?”

“Always, my love.”

\--

After their conversation in the classroom Calla found herself torn. She felt that Fleur deserved to know the truth and the _entire_ truth before they left.

Calla could imagine the look on Fleur’s face if something happened she were kept in the dark. The name Harry Potter may mean nothing to Calla, but she understood just how much it meant to the people of Britain. They worshiped her as a _savior_ for Merlin’s sake. As if it wasn’t all because of some complex ritual her mother found.

Calla lay across the expanse of grass near the gardens, her feet barely dipping into the river before her. Her head lay in Fleur’s lap as the elder witch studied her defence textbook.

“Would you be mad if I kept a secret from you?” Calla asked, keeping her hands busy by stroking the sleeping wyrm on her stomach.

“That depends? Just how bad is this secret and does it endanger you?”

Calla huffed, grateful that Fleur knew her well enough not to mention how poorly she mentioned the topic. “Technically it’s keeping me safe.”

Fleur hummed, debating how to reply. “Then I would only wish to know if you felt it safe to tell me. I can handle my girlfriend keeping a few secrets if it means she stays safe.” At this point the textbook was set to the side and Fleur reached down to brush hair away from Calla’s forehead.

“I want you to know, but I need you to promise not to see me differently.”

An unladylike snort came from Fleur as she sectioned a piece of hair to braid, “Who was the one to believe you weren’t in fact a reincarnation of the Dark Lord when you suddenly started hissing at snakes?”

“Please,” Calla waved a hand dismissively, thankful for the lighter mood, “You totally found it hot.”

Calla was satisfied when Fleur blushed in response to a few muttered parseltongue words. “I thought we agreed not to mention that anymore.”

“Sorry.” Despite them both knowing that sentiment was false, Fleur allowed Calla to continue, “Seriously, though.”

“You know you can tell me anything, Calla. I love you for who you are and I doubt that would change.”

“That’s the thing. I’m not who you think I am.” Her words were quieter now, and Kaa nudged her hand to distract her from hesitating too long.

“What do you mean?”

“My… mother and I moved to France when I was one.” Fleur nodded at this, having met the Very Scottish Lily Bellmont. “But, we aren’t from Scotland.” It was difficult for Calla to explain. She had never had to put these events into words for anyone. “I was born in Britain to Lily and James Potter.” Fleur’s hands noticeably stopped moving. “I was born with the name Harry James Potter before we fled the Dark Lord and moved here to one of the Potter homes.”

There was a moment of silence that Calla deemed too long before Fleur replied. “Is that all?”

Judging by the way Calla shot up and spun around to face Fleur, it wasn’t the anticipated response. “That’s all you have to say?”

Fleur laughed, moving to re-arrange Calla’s hair and brush her hands against her cheeks, “You should know that I don’t care about your birth name.” Calla felt an immense rush of relief, “Even if it is the name of Britain’s supposed savior.”

Calla reached up to hold Fleur’s hands in hers. “Fleur Delacour, you truly are a perfect woman.” The answering laugh made Calla grin. “I love you, truly.”

“And I you, Calla Potter.”

\--

_Rules for Hogwarts:_

  * __You will call either Remus or I the instant there is any suspicion or a rule is broken.__


  * _You will call at any truth given to a rumor about You-Know-Who._


  * _You will_ _not_ _speak parseltongue or carry Kaa anywhere other than the dorm and only in already aware company._


  * _You will not break curfew to go exploring after dark._


  * _You will not try to find a way to enter the tournament._


  * _You will use a wand and an audible spell for_ _every_ _spell._


  * _You will not tell anyone the true names of your family._


  * _Do not trust too easily, and don’t get caught up in anything risky._



\--

The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students were scheduled to arrive at Hogwarts on October 1st.

This meant families were invited to say their goodbyes the night of the 30th. Lily was alone in this regard, cautious of the attention Sirius and Remus were bound to bring if they joined her.

“You read the rules?”

“Yes, mother.”

“And you swear not to break them?”

Calla groaned, stopping in her tracks to face Lily. “Mom, I’ve promised you at least a dozen times. Do you want me to make an unbreakable vow?!”

It was clearly said with sarcasm, but Lily’s responding look was just serious enough to send a chill down her spine. Calla was afraid for the results if anything were to happen at this point.

“Mom, I promise I will be careful, okay? I won’t draw any unnecessary attention to myself and I will call you at the first sign of danger.”

Lily sighed, taking her daughter’s hands in hers. “I know, sweetheart. I know you will be safe and know how to handle yourself, but you can’t blame a mother for being worried.”

Calla smiled gently, “I don’t. I’ll miss you guys.”

The goodbye with Lily was bittersweet, but Calla wasn’t able to dwell on it as her friends greeted her and dragged her towards the carriages.

The thought of embarking on this journey was thrilling, and Calla couldn’t wait to live in a castle with even _more_ secrets.


	4. Branching

The ancient castle lived up to its reputation, with reaching spires and a grand lake. Calla could understand how Lily had spoken of the castle. She could only imagine the reactions first year students would have, especially muggleborns.

Durmstrang was first to enter, and through the open doors Calla made eye contact with someone she definitely wasn’t expecting.

_ “Remus?” _ She hissed, moving slightly closer. She saw him shrug from his place at the staff table. This is where he had been on ‘vacation’ for the year?! At least it explained why at least Sirius hadn’t gone with him.

Calla pushed the incident to the back of her mind as the Beauxbatons students lined up, resigned to interrogate the werewolf later.

The Beauxbatons entrance to the feast was as unnecessarily elegant as ever, and Calla soon found herself seated at the Ravenclaw table with another Beauxbatons girl by the name of Ali to one side of her. To her left was a petite blonde in conversation with the dark-skinned brunette across from her.

The brunette promptly noticed Calla’s gaze and grinned. “ _ Hi! Nice to meet you!” _ She introduced in a French accent that was better than Calla had expected.  _ “My name’s Hermione Granger. I’m a fifth year.” _

Calla smiled in return,  _ “A pleasure, Ms. Granger. I’m Calla Bellmont.” _

Hermione faltered at her response. “Oh, to be honest I haven’t had much time to practice my French.” She gave an apologetic smile and continued, “But this is my friend Luna Lovegood.” She motioned to the girl across from her, “She’s a fourth year.”

“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Bellmont.” Luna answered.

Calla noticed Hermione’s shocked expression at Luna understanding her name from their brief exchange in French. “You as well.” She turned to mostly address Hermione, “If you ever need help studying French I’d be happy to help.” At the look in Hermione’s eyes she added, “As long as you help me with my English.”

Hermione beamed, reaching a hand across the table to shake her hand, “Deal!”

It was at this moment that Fleur finally arrived at the table, motioning for Ali to slide down before sitting beside Calla.  _ “Hello, love.” _ She greeted, leaning into Calla a bit.

Calla looked to Fleur, “Welcome back. Fleur, meet Hermione Granger and Luna Lovegood. I’m afraid Hermione’s already gotten me to agree to a study arrangement.”

Hermione looked sheepish as Fleur let out a laugh. “Ah, I’m not surprised. I’m Fleur Delacour. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Granger.”

“Hermione’s fine.” She corrected, waving a hand dismissively. Fleur nodded.

They continued meaningless conversation for a few moments until Dumbledore rose to address the hall. The sorting had already taken place before the foreign schools arrived, and now she guessed Dumbledore would introduce the tournament.

His speech was brief, detailing how only those 17 years of age could enter and one would be chosen from each school the following night. Calla thought Halloween was a rather fitting night to choose which three would fight to the death.

She had always loved Halloween, and prayed this choosing wouldn’t ruin that trend. Her mother had always made Halloween enjoyable, finding ancient Samhain rituals and muggle activities to occupy their time. She had never confronted Lily about it, but Calla’s theory was that Lily didn’t want to ruin a traditional holiday by remaining in the past and mourning a loss.

The feast was marvelous, and the Beauxbatons students appreciated the quality of the French dishes available.

Helping herself to a generous portion of beef  bourguignon, she took a piece of beef and slipped it to her other sleeve where Kaa stuck his head out to take it from her. Lily had been very specific about hiding the wyrm, but Calla didn’t trust the Hogwarts methods of care and transportation enough to leave him alone during the welcoming feast.

“Our DADA teacher this year isn’t as bad as expect- What are you doing?”

Calla jerked at Hermione’s sudden attention, snapping her eyes up from where she was feeding Kaa. “Uhh,” She faltered, lifting her hands to the table quickly and causing Kaa to fall loose in her sleeve. “Just eating dinner.”

Hermione’s eyes narrowed. “What’s in your sleeve, Calla?” Calla glanced to Fleur for support but saw the girl merely covering a laugh with her hand.

“He is rather gorgeous.” Luna hummed, a knowing look in her eyes.

Calla, in her curiosity about Luna, didn’t notice Kaa slide up her arm until he could poke his head from her collar.

Hermione gasped, “Is that a snake?” Her quiet rage was much appreciated by Calla who glanced around to see if anyone heard.

“He’s a wyrm, technically.” She hissed, reaching up to shove his head back under her shirt, “And I would  _ very  _ much appreciate it if you never spoke a word of this.” Hermione appeared very strained as she resisted asking further questions. “I’m staying in the Ravenclaw dorms, Hermione. I promise to explain more there.”

Hermione nodded, satisfied by the promise of being able to grill Calla with questions later.

Calla breathed a sigh of relief, reaching for a dessert and hoping Kaa would understand not receiving anymore food for a bit. She would just have to find the kitchens later.

\--

Fleur stayed behind after the feast to enter her name along with others, so Calla left with Hermione to find the kitchens. The Ravenclaw had no idea where they would be located, and Calla wasn’t much better. Sirius hadn’t told her many of the schools secrets claiming she needed to discover them on her own. He had, however, advised her to ‘tickle the pear’, whatever the hell that meant.

Calla chose to continue the conversation from dinner that had been interrupted by Kaa, “So you mentioned the DADA teacher earlier?”

Hermione hummed, “Yeah, Professor Lupin. He started this year, but we haven’t had a professor last more than one year in that position so far.”

“What happened to them all?”

“Professor Quirrell fled after suspicion about the stone being stolen, Professor Lockhart was exposed as a fraud and had to resign, Professor Michaels was fired after it became clear he wasn’t very knowledgeable, and Professor Bellchant was an auror only scheduled to teach for a year.” Calla nodded, recognizing the first two names from the papers Lily received. “Professor Lupin has been incredible so far! He’s very organized and thorough in theoretical and practical teaching.”

“Remus has always been a good teacher.” Calla mused.

Hermione looked to her with what had to be the most offended look Calla had ever seen.  _ “Remus?” _ She questioned.

“Ah,” Calla realized how that must have sounded. “ _ Professor Lupin _ is one of my dads.”

“One of your  _ what _ ?” Calla really wasn’t helping herself here.

“God, okay. Remus has been looking after me with my mother since I was an infant along with his husband. They’re the closest thing to fathers I’ve known.” Remus and Sirius certainly weren’t  _ married _ , but the relationship they had was close enough in Calla’s opinion. Plus, if he was going to surprise her by showing up like this, he could deal with the gossip about his husband.

“Wow.” Hermione breathed. “So… he’s married?”

Calla grinned, “Of course! But I shouldn’t say much, they’re very secretive.” She sent Hermione a wink, knowing her work was done. With her inquisitive nature, it would only be a matter of time before the rumors spread to the rest of the school.

Calla suddenly froze. “They could have at least given me a  _ challenge _ .” She grumbled. Ignoring Hermione’s curious glance, she turned towards the portrait on her left and sighed.

Approaching the portrait of fruit, she reached out and tickled the pear. The fruit giggled before shifting into a door handle. “Oh, come on.” she muttered before pushing the door open. Turning her head she added, “Found the kitchens!”

\--

Curfew was a strict 10pm, and three hours later even the prefects and rebel students wandering the halls had retired to their dorms.

At least, so hoped the man that approached the great hall, desperately clutching a folded piece of paper in his fist. It was riddled with enchantments that he couldn’t even claim to know the name of, but his purpose was clear.

Gaining access to Hogwarts was easy. He had always had access as a student and through his career, and the wards were relaxed to allow the entering of students from the foreign schools.

It was too simple for him to approach the goblet in his opinion. There was no one there to stop him; not even a guarding enchantment in sight.

Then again, it wasn’t as if normal students went around rigging ancient artifacts in their free time.

He approached the goblet, whispering a few words under his breath and watching as the flame flickered a brilliant red. It stayed that way until he dropped the paper into the flame. He couldn’t wait to see the results. When the magical contract bound the child they had been searching years for and pulled him out of hiding.

‘ _ Harry Potter’. _

\--

Halloween started brilliantly, with Fleur, Hermione, and Luna joining Calla for a relaxing breakfast.

Towards the end of breakfast, with the hall still only half-full, was when Remus finally walked into the hall, caught Calla’s death glare, sighed, and turned towards the Ravenclaw table to the confusion of the rest of the hall.

“Good morning.” He greeted, taking the empty seat beside Calla.

“Is it?” Calla narrowed her eyes. “You didn’t think it would be important to tell me about this?” Hermione, who couldn’t imagine  _ looking _ at a teacher the wrong way, flinched back at her tone.

“I thought it was a pretty good surprise.” 

Calla couldn’t help her smile. “It was. I am happy to see you.” Calla turned to give him a hug, feeling Remus’ sigh of relief at her affection. “So what’s the DADA schedule for the first week?"

Remus replied, “Well, I haven’t altered it from the standard Hogwarts curriculum, so this week finishes our discussion of vampires and their defences before we move onto boggarts.”

Calla’s brow furrowed. “Vampires? Isn’t that third year material?”

“There’s been a rather terrible streak of defense teachers unfortunately. We are still working to catch up on the missed material.” Calla winced. That must place unbelievable stress on new instructors coming in.

“Well, I can’t promise to pay attention in lessons if its reviewed material.”   
  
Remus sighed, “I know, Calla. I know.”

\--

Her first class was charms, which passed rather quickly. She sat beside Hermione and was surprised by how quickly Hermione managed to perform the spell displayed. Hermione, thankfully, didn’t seem too upset by the fact that Calla had managed the spell on her first try. It was a rather simple amplifying charm that Sirius had taught her when she was younger in order to terrorize Remus and Lily.

Professor Flitwick was ecstatic that the Ravenclaws and Beauxbatons students excelled so quickly, and motioned for those proficient in the spell to assist those needing it. Calla ended up paired with a Gryffindor boy with wild red hair. “Calla Bellmont.” She greeted.

“Ron Weasley.” He answered, giving her a rather harsh look when she moved to demonstrate the spell for him again. Was he truly jealous of her ability to cast?

Calla shook off the thoughts and her immediate impression of the boy to teach him for the remainder of the class. He had managed the spell by the end, but his voice when amplified was rather shaky and would cut out like static.

After charms was a break that Calla promise Hermione would serve as her interrogation. So, immediately after class, Hermione pulled Calla into an empty classroom (and really why were there so many) and launched into questions.

It took a few moments for Calla to quiet her down and promise to answer as long as she asked the questions one by one.

“Why do you have a snake? Are those allowed at Beauxbatons?”

Calla smiled, “No, not really. We have the usual allowed pets unless they’re familiars, but Kaa bonded with me when I was young.” She paused, questioning her next words. “And… he’s not really a snake. He’s a wyrm.” At her words Kaa poked his head from her shirt and gradually moved out to lay across her palms. “He’s a bit bigger than this but we hit him with some serious shrinking charms so he could stay with me.”

She held him forward so Hermione could stroke his scales. Upon her touch he flared his wings and the frills around his head and neck. Hermione gasped and seemed only more intrigued.

_ “Behave!” _ She hissed.

“You’re a parselmouth.” Hermione breathed.

“Ah, yeah. Mom isn’t sure exactly why but we just assume it’s from magical creature blood in our ancestry.”

Hermione was pale, and Calla remembered for a brief moment the terror of being branded as some form of the new dark lord. “That’s  _ so cool!” _ The anxiety washed from her as Hermione continued, “Do you think that language can be taught? Can you teach me parseltongue?!”

Calla laughed at her enthusiasm, “I don’t think you could ever learn to speak it, but I’ve heard of people able to understand it.”

While slightly disappointed, this news also seemed to ignite a determination in Hermione that terrified Calla.

“Anyways, do you have other questions?”

“I’m guessing you don’t want to be questioned about your home life?”

Calla, while understanding where she came from considering the things Calla has revealed to her so far, shook her head. “No, sorry. I meant it when I said my family is pretty secretive. I shouldn’t say anything.”

Hermione was fairly understanding about this, and continued to ask about less important things until it was time to go to their next class.

It ended up being potions with the Hufflepuffs, and Calla was thrilled. She had always loved the exact science of potions, and Lily was a natural with the subject who taught her everything she knows. Calla’s potions instructors had always been impressed by her skill with timing and an incredible understanding of the ingredients and their functions.

She had, however, heard negative things about the professor, and wasn’t going to deal with that. A bad instructor was always horrible, but in potions it was even more important due to the dangerous ingredients and processes.

Professor Snape was so much worse than she could have imagined. The arrogant ass had immediately locked onto Calla, and while she couldn’t tell his motivation or the look on his face when he saw her, she did know that he had targeted her.

He began by asking questions above the normal fifth year material (which she answered correctly) and continually hovered over her and Hermione while they prepared their potions. She wasn’t exactly thrilled by the act.

She had known basic information about the man from the stories of her family, but she didn’t expect him to be such a  _ dick _ to children.

Regardless, she kept her head down and did her best to get through the class without causing a scene. Somehow she made it, and was relieved to head to lunch afterwards.

Lunch, Care of Magical Creatures, and Transfiguration all passed rather quickly, with Calla catching comments from both Hagrid and Professor McGonagall about her similarity to Lily. Granted, they had no idea they were actually related, but Calla supposed she must look like a perfect cross of her parents with dark hair.

\--

Calla would be hard-pressed to think of a time she had been more nervous than the present. Perhaps when she had come out to her family? Twice? Yet, watching as Dumbledore approached the goblet, her heart was in her throat. There was a good chance her girlfriend would be entering this tournament and there was no guarantee of survival.

She could feel the nerves of the others in the hall, but many were longing to be picked, rather than avoid it. Calla had Fleur’s hand in a death grip. “You know I believe in you, but I really hope you aren’t picked.” Calla whispered.

Fleur gave her a reassuring smile as the flame of the goblet lit up a dazzling red and a piece of paper flew from it into Dumbledore’s hand.

“Our Durmstrang champion is Viktor Krum!” Calla watched as the man proudly walked towards the side room where they were to gather.

Another paper flew. “From Hogwarts: Cedric Diggory!” Once again, Calla hadn’t had the opportunity to meet any Hufflepuffs, and didn’t have much of an opinion on his selection.

The final paper reached Dumbledore and Calla’s grip tightened. “From Beauxbatons: Fleur Delacour!”

Calla let out a small whine as Fleur gave her hand a final squeeze and left her to join the others. She felt Hermione place a hand on her shoulder, and a shudder ran down her spine.

Hermione opened her mouth to comfort Calla, but they were interrupted by the goblet once again glowing red. Calla felt frozen to her spot.

Dumbledore ripped the paper from the air, and read it with confusion. “C-Calla Bellmont?”

All of the air left her at once. There was no way she was being drawn into competing in this tournament, and  _ especially _ not as some extra fourth champion. She  _ wouldn’t _ .

As she stood and moved towards the front of the hall, she kept her eyes down. She couldn’t bear to see the eyes on her and the looks she would be receiving.

How had this happened? Had someone entered her name? Still, how would the goblet select a fourth?

Calla felt her breathing stutter again as she walked past the professors and into the side room followed by Dumbledore.

“Calla?” Fleurs voice was smaller than she had ever heard it, and Calla immediately ran to her. Fleur enveloped her in an embrace, and Calla wished she could remain there forever. “Will someone explain what’s happening?”

“I would like to know how she was selected!” Calla recognized the voice as the Durmstrang headmaster.

Dumbledore approached her like a wild animal and asked, “Did you put your name in the goblet?” His calm tone comforted Calla enough to free herself from Fleur.

“No. I didn’t even want Fleur to enter.” There was a general grumble around the room until the door slammed open again.

Remus Lupin stormed in and Calla could see the touch of gold in his eyes. Quickly, she moved forward and into his arms. “I’m ok, dad. I’m fine.” He held her a few moments more before looking up to Dumbledore.

“She’s not competing.” Calla held him tighter upon hearing the rasp in his voice.

“We will search for a solution, but for now she must. The contract is binding and if she didn’t compete it would cost her her magic and likely her life.”

Remus growled, but they were once again interrupted by someone entering the room.

“Albus!” McGonagall was frantic and Calla could even tell by the magic practically whipping around her. “Come, quickly!”

The three headmasters quickly followed after McGonagall, and the champions and Remus followed after sharing a brief look.

They ran through the empty halls, grateful the students were all still gathered in the great hall. Coming to a screeching halt as they turned a corner, Calla felt her blood run cold for the third time that night.

Painted across the wall in the startling red of still wet blood was a phrase she certainly hadn’t expected.

_The Chamber of Secrets has opened. Enemies of the heir... beware._  
  
\--

A running count on the rules as Calla breaks them:

Rules for Hogwarts:

  * ~~You will call either Remus or I the instant there is any suspicion or a rule is broken.~~


  * You will call at any truth given to a rumor about You-Know-Who.


  * ~~You will not speak parseltongue or carry Kaa anywhere other than the dorm and only in already aware company~~.


  * You will not break curfew to go exploring after dark.


  * ~~You will not try to find a way to enter the tournament.~~


  * You will use a wand and an audible spell for every spell.


  * You will not tell anyone the true names of your family.


  * ~~Do not trust too easily, and don’t get caught up in anything risky.~~



**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya know, I really wanted this to take place in Calla and the gangs 5th year, but I kinda forgot that would mean Cedric, Fleur, and Viktor would have graduated. So, in this fic they’re a year younger than in the original canon ok? ok.


	5. Ephemeral

Students were quickly ushered back into their dorms at the revelation, and Calla found herself in the Ravenclaw common room with most of the Ravenclaw and Beauxbatons students. A few had gone to bed early, but most were too anxious to sleep. The rest were huddled on the couches and floor around the fireplace, leaning on each other for a sense of security. Filch’s cat had been petrified, and no one was about to leave the dorm at risk of being caught by the distraught man.

Hermione was huddled into Calla’s side with Luna laying on Hermione’s legs. Fleur was behind Calla, running her hands through her hair in calming motions.

Calla herself was aggressively scribbling in a journal Sirius had gifted her. It was charmed to only allow her and those she granted access to to read it. She was currently working on spell creation in an effort to focus and distract her mind.

Hermione hadn’t even known much about the chamber, but she had known that last time it was open muggleborn students were targeted. Apparently there was some creature living in it, and the school had been saved at that time by Tom something. Calla wasn’t sure what she could do to protect the other students, but she would work her hardest to make sure she could protect the ones close to her.

“What are you writing?” Hermione asked, and Calla frowned at the shakiness in her voice.

“Spell creation. I’m working on a stronger stunning spell for whatever the chamber may have in store.” She replied without taking her eyes from the page. Hermione didn’t have anything to say, and Calla wondered when in the future Hermione would cheer up and grill her on spell creation theories. “I’m going to keep you safe.” She whispered.

Hermione looked up and went to respond when Luna piped in, “Oh, I know. I wouldn’t be too worried.”

Calla narrowed her eyes at the cryptic words but brushed them off since they seemed to help Hermione. “Yeah, what’s the worst that can happen?”

She really shouldn’t have asked.

\--

Most of the Ravenclaws spent the night cuddled in the common room, and continued massaging aching necks on their way to breakfast. The meal was fairly quiet compared to normal, and no one was shocked when Dumbledore rose to make an announcement.

“Good morning. As you all know there was an incident last night. As of now no students or staff have been harmed. Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students are invited to stay if they wish, but we will be providing transportation back to your respective schools tomorrow evening if you wish. Unfortunately, the champions are bound by the contract and must remain to compete. I invite you all to stay to support your champions. Have a wonderful day of classes.” He sat, and whispers broke out throughout the hall.

“Seriously?! A threat against the school and you have to stay? That doesn’t seem very safe at an event planned for school relations!” Hermioned raged.

Calla snorted as the owls begant to deliver the post. “Neither does forcing minors into deadly competition yet here we are.”

Hermione made an offended noise and nodded. “I don’t know why they reinstated the tournament! I’ll help you prepare however possible.” She vowed. Calla smiled in response.

“Thanks, Hermione. I know Fleur and I will win with that support.” She winked. An owl swooped down to her, dropping off a few letters and leaving with a stolen piece of sausage.

Hermione blinked and startled, “That’s right! You’re both in the tournament!” Calla didn’t fault her for forgetting considering the shit show that was last night.

Fleur leaned over from another conversation, “I hope they allow alliances. I don’t think I could ever go against you in a serious competition.”

Calla grinned, whispering a term of endearment in French. “Isn’t she the sweetest? Promising not to kill me for sport!”

Fleur waved her hand dismissively. “It’s the least I can do for you,  _ ma puce.”  _

After a moment of scrunching her nose in thought Hermione questioned, “ _ Puce?” _

Calla groaned. Fleur was only too happy to answer. “It means flea.” She informed, smiling at Hermione. “You see, there was this one time-” Calla cut Fleur off with a quiet muffling charm.

“Shh! We agreed not to talk about that again!” Calla continued, “It’s actually just a French endearment too. Fleur seems to forget that in favor of embarrassing me.”

Fleur, still silenced, grinned in response.

Calla rolled her eyes, “Anyway. I’ve heard a lot about the history of magic teacher? Is he so bad?”

Hermione-the-academic-prodigy sighed. “Professor Binns is horrible. It wouldn’t be so bad if he spoke in more than one tone.” She mimicked his monotone voice, drawing a laugh from Calla and Fleur.

“Sounds riveting! Would be a shame if something were to happen to make the class more…  _ exciting. _ ” Calla grinned, feeling Kaa move against her neck. Hermione looked as if she was about to faint.

“Calla  _ no.” _

\--

History of magic was a class Calla hoped to  _ never _ repeat. How did the board and headmaster allow a ghost to continue teaching this long? She had nothing against him personally, but it was clear he was a little… outdated.

Defense was a  _ lot _ more fun. Granted, Calla found any class where she was actually able to utilize her magic fun. She was also having fun proving to the Hogwarts and Durmstrang students just why she had the top grades at Beauxbatons.

Their lesson was a practical one on vampires, and the foreign students had already learned those specific counter-spells. After proving their ability to cast them they were allowed to read ahead and do the homework on boggarts for next week.

That was a topic Calla was looking forward to. She hadn’t encountered one since an accident when she was young, and she doubted her fear would still be the cloaked dark lord from her mother’s stories.

It wasn’t something she thought about often, but now she really did look forward to seeing her greatest fear. Of course she was afraid of dangerous creatures like dementors, but she wasn’t  _ terrified.  _ Perhaps she may be, but she was also confident in her ability to handle them. She knew how to cast most protection spells including the patronus Remus and Sirius had taught her two years prior.

Calla wasn’t sure how other fears would present. If her fear was loneliness would the boggart vanish? She wasn’t even sure which of these fears she held. The basics were pretty much out. Rejection was something she had accepted but never feared after being raised by such a loving and welcoming family. She knew she was loved and loneliness never bothered her with her incredible friends.

Well, she would have a week to think of theories as to what it would be.

Lunch was held in a relatively quiet state compared to what Calla had seen the previous day. It appeared as if people were still a bit anxious regarding last night, and Calla understood.

It also appeared as if the Hogwarts students thought Calla had cheated in order to get her name in the cup and continued to glare at her throughout the day. The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students, thankfully, didn’t seem to hold such thoughts and only offered what they hoped were comforting smiles.

At lunch they were joined by the Durmstrang champion. Calla knew Viktor Krum from his quidditch, but had never met the man personally. Now was as good a time as any considering they might die in a month.

“Hello.” He greeted, sliding into the open spot across from Calla like an old friend.

“Uh, hello.” Fleur replied with a nod of greeting. “Viktor Krum, yes?”

He nodded and reached across the table for a helping of potatoes. “Yes. You are Fleur Delacour and Calla Bellmont.”

She could tell he wasn’t very confident speaking English. She was fairly certain that Hogwarts taught no language classes, but Beauxbatons and Durmstrang both taught courses for the languages of other prominent magic schools. Beauxbatons focused more on the countries closer to them, so the students had a pretty strong understanding of Bulgarian.

Calla hummed and replied in a somewhat shaky Bulgarian, “ _ You came over here to say hi since we are all champions?” _

Viktor looked noticeably relieved and nodded, “ _ Yes, I thought it would be nice to know each other before entering the tournament.” _

While unsure whether he was suggesting this because he thought they would be a good support for each other or because he wanted an advantage, Calla appreciated it. Even if he did only want to talk to them for the sake of competition, she thought a rivalry might do them well.

Better to be friendly during a time of stress like this than hateful towards each other.

Fleur seemed to have the same line of thought and added, “ _ I agree. I think more than the competition we need to-” _

She was cut off by another arrival to the table. “Hey!” Cedric sat down with only a slight hesitation. “I saw the three of you over here and figured I’d join!” His smile was more vibrant than Calla had ever seen, and she couldn’t help but return it.

“Ah,” Fleur transitioned to English with the addition of Cedric. “Welcome! I was just saying that it would do good for the four of us to stick together.”

Cedric nodded eagerly while Viktor frowned slightly. Calla clarified, “She means that we know it’s still a competition. But even more important than some dumb title is the fact that we live through it. Let’s make it a fair fight and watch each other’s backs.”

Viktor flared his nostrils but nodded, holding a glass out to the rest. “Then we toast to a fair fight!”

Calla grinned as she grabbed her own and the four shared a toast. “To a fair fight!”

\--

The fight may have been fair, but her luck certainly wasn’t. She was on her way back to her dorm from astronomy when she heard a voice from the wall.

_ “Let me eat! I must kill!” _ Calla was torn between being concerned and annoyed. Hearing voices speaking of death was never good, but did she  _ really  _ need this right now?

She didn’t make the connection at first, but realized what was happening when Kaa poked his head from her shirt staring at the wall.

“Oh, shit.” She muttered before running a few steps to keep up with the voice and leaning towards the wall to whisper, “ _ Hello?” _

The voice immediately stopped. “ _ You speak.” _ It whispered, sounding much less intense than it had a few moments prior.

_ “Yes, who are you?” _

A few seconds passed before the snake- whatever kind it was- hissed, throwing out half-formed words as if crazed.

The serpent sped away, leaving Calla to chase as fast as she could. She kept herself pressed against the wall as the serpent raced away. Had she spooked it? What the hell kind of snake lived in the walls of Hogwarts anyways?

The voice kept growing more distant, but she was determined to follow it. Eventually she was just following the echo of her voice, and then came to a screeching halt as she rounded the corner.

Water had flooded the floor outside of the bathroom, and the snake was nowhere to be found. What  _ was  _ to be found was the frozen form of a Durmstrang girl she didn’t recognize.

Calla inhaled sharply, looking around and realizing she was in a heavily trafficked area that a prefect would probably come through soon. “Yeah, fuck this.” She muttered, turning away from the sight and heading towards her dorm. She would be faster when following the snake next time to prevent this, but she didn’t need this right now.

The memories of the younger Beauxbatons students naming her the new dark lord were still fresh in her mind, and she really didn’t want another reason to be branded a criminal. It didn’t help that she had been chosen as a champion.

It wasn’t the right thing to do, but Calla promised herself that someone would find the girl soon.

It wasn’t like she was going anywhere.

\--

Calla sat in her dorm to read the letters she had received at breakfast since she hadn’t had a chance during the day.

The first two were from Eva and Lucien, commenting on their desire to be at Hogwarts with her and their well-wishes for the Beauxbatons champion.

The third was from her mother.

 

_ Calla, _

_ I hope you have enjoyed your first few glances of Hogwarts. I also trust you haven’t broken any rules. _

_ I wish more than anything I could be there with you. I do miss Hogwarts. Dumbledore had even invited me to teach there after I graduated! You’ll have to write me about the staff and the friends I’m sure you’ve made. _

_ The tournament champions won’t be announced until tomorrow morning, but if Fleur was chosen please give her my love. _

_ Sirius says hello and wishes you well. Stay out of trouble, little flower. _

_ Good luck! _

 

_ Oh shit.  _ Calla had forgotten about her parents. They would be  _ livid  _ when they found out she was entered. Hadn’t Remus written them about it?

Calla sighed. Of course not. He wouldn’t willingly get in the way of Lily once she found out. Honestly, she hoped that by some miracle Lily just wouldn’t get the paper. Maybe Sirius would and would hide it? No, he was just as protective as Lily.

With a groan Calla buried her head in her hands. For a moment she was so caught up with tournaments and snakes in walls that she forgot she lived in a world where families existed.

Calla fell back on her bed and let Kaa unwind to curl around her fingers and arm.

_ “Tomorrow’s gonna be hell isn’t it buddy?” _

Calla respected Kaa’s decision not to respond.


End file.
